Staff Mechanical Engineer

Remote Robotic Systems Inc.; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 115,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Benefits

Job summary

Remote Robotic Systems Inc. is seeking a Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead mechanical hardware development for a new aircraft program.

The role spans concept to production, involving mechanical and product design, electronics integration, testing, and design for manufacture. You will collaborate with electrical and manufacturing teams to drive development through CAD, prototyping, testing, and supplier engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field required.
• Minimum seven years of mechanical product development experience.
• Demonstrated experience taking physical products from concept into volume production.
• Hands-on PCB and PCBA integration experience, including component placement and interconnects.
• Experience with ECAD and MCAD workflows and with sealed or environmentally protected enclosures.

Responsibilities

• Own mechanical and product design from concept through production-ready hardware.
• Drive part-count reduction and manufacturing efficiency; design for automation and repeatable production.
• Collaborate with electrical engineers on PCB/PCBA layout and interconnects; ensure cooling and reliability.
• Define and execute environmental, structural, and reliability test programs; support qualification and field trials.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers and co-ops.

Skills

Mechanical design

Design for manufacturing

Technical leadership

Hands-on engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Product development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

ECAD/MCAD workflows

Job description

About Remote Robotic Systems

Help build rugged, mission-critical hardware at the intersection of robotics, autonomy, and defence technology.

Remote Robotic Systems (RRS) is a Canadian robotics and defence technology company helping organizations deploy enterprise-grade drones, uncrewed aircraft, robotic platforms, sensors, payloads, and remote operations technologies for mission-critical applications. Our solutions support customers across defence, public safety, security, industrial, infrastructure, energy, and government sectors.

Through our Airmetal team, we develop advanced aerospace and technology products designed to perform reliably in demanding, real-world environments.

We are developing ruggedized aircraft, hardware, and electronics systems that must perform where ordinary products fail, including exposure to water, dust, sand, vibration, impact, and temperature extremes. These products must be durable, lightweight, manufacturable, scalable, and reliable in the field.

We are a small, fast-moving engineering team that values ownership, technical depth, practical problem solving, and the ability to turn ambitious ideas into robust, manufacturable products.

The Role

Airmetal is looking for a Staff Mechanical Engineer to lead mechanical hardware development for a new aircraft program, from early concept through production.

This is a broad, senior individual-contributor role combining mechanical and product design, electronics integration, testing, and design for manufacture. You will make critical hardware decisions, solve complex engineering problems, and help transform prototypes into reliable products that can be built consistently and at volume.

Working closely with electrical, software, and manufacturing teams, you will drive development across the full product lifecycle, including CAD, prototyping, testing, validation, supplier engagement, and production readiness. You will spend significant time in both the lab and the design environment, ensuring products are functional, durable, manufacturable, and scalable.

We are looking for a hands-on engineering leader who combines strong mechanical design fundamentals with deep design-for-manufacture experience, practical judgment, and the ability to guide other engineers.

What You Will Work On

Hardware and Product Design

• Own mechanical and product design from concept through production-ready hardware.
• Design and develop airframes, enclosures, assemblies, and integrated hardware systems.
• Create manufacturable designs that balance performance, weight, reliability, cost, and ease of assembly.
• Drive product architecture and key technical decisions throughout development.
• Develop and maintain CAD models, drawings, specifications, and engineering documentation.

Design for Manufacture

• Drive part-count reduction, assembly simplification, cost reduction, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Design for automated assembly, repeatable production, and consistent product quality.
• Support the transition from prototype to low-volume and production manufacturing.
• Develop fixtures, processes, and assembly methods that improve repeatability and quality.
• Work directly with suppliers and manufacturing partners to solve design and production challenges.

Electronics Integration

• Work closely with electrical engineers on PCB and PCBA layout, mounting, packaging, and interconnects.
• Support effective ECAD and MCAD collaboration throughout product development.
• Design solutions that support cooling, environmental protection, serviceability, and long-term reliability.
• Understand how mechanical packaging decisions affect electronics performance, RF performance, and overall system reliability.

Testing and Validation

• Define and execute environmental, structural, and reliability test programs.
• Support ingress, vibration, shock, thermal, humidity, and other environmental testing.

Analyze test results and drive evidence-based design improvements.

Support qualification, certification, and field trials as products mature.

Use testing and measured performance to validate design decisions and resolve technical risk.

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers and co-op students.
• Help establish mechanical engineering practices, standards, and design approaches.
• Contribute to technical planning and direction for the mechanical engineering team.
• Review designs and help the team identify risks, trade-offs, and practical solutions.

Core Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
• At least seven years of mechanical product development experience.
• Demonstrated experience taking physical products from concept into volume production.
• Proven design-for-manufacture and design-for-assembly results.
• Hands-on PCB and PCBA integration experience, including component placement, stack-up, mounting, and interconnect selection.
• Experience working with ECAD and MCAD workflows.
• Proven experience designing and validating sealed or environmentally protected enclosures.
• Strong SolidWorks skills or equivalent advanced 3D CAD experience.
• Experience defining or supporting environmental, structural, or reliability testing.
• Experience mentoring or providing technical guidance to other engineers.
• A hands-on, build-test-iterate approach to engineering.
• Ability to own ambiguous technical problems from definition through implementation.
• Ability to work on-site in Kanata, Ontario.

Nice to Have

• Experience with drone, UAV, robotics, aerospace, automotive, marine, defence, or industrial hardware.
• Expertise in injection-molded product design.
• Experience with multirotor or fixed-wing aerodynamics and propulsion.
• Experience designing products or assemblies for automated production.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, IEC 60529, IP ratings, or similar environmental qualification standards.
• Experience integrating RF systems or antennas into compact products.
• Experience developing ruggedized electronics for demanding operating environments.
• Controlled Goods Program registration or previous experience working in a controlled-goods environment.
• An active Canadian security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain one.
• P.Eng. designation or eligibility for licensure in Ontario.

What Will Make You Successful

• You enjoy solving difficult engineering problems that cross mechanics, electronics, testing, and manufacturing.
• You trust testing and measured performance over assumptions.
• You can move comfortably between CAD, prototypes, the lab, suppliers, and production challenges.
• You take ownership of outcomes and follow through on commitments.
• You can provide technical leadership while remaining closely involved in hands-on engineering work.
• You combine strong technical depth with practical engineering judgment.
• You enjoy simplifying products and finding elegant solutions to complex problems.
• You work effectively in a collaborative environment where the lines between design, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing are intentionally close.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to lead mechanical development for a new aircraft program from concept through production.
• Direct impact on product architecture, manufacturability, reliability, performance, and cost.
• Hands-on involvement in design, prototyping, testing, and production development.
• Exposure to robotics, aerospace, autonomy, sensing, communications, and defence technologies.
• Close collaboration within a highly technical and entrepreneurial engineering team.
• A fast-paced environment where your work has visible impact.
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and equity participation.

Employment Details

Employment type: Full-time

Location: On-site in Kanata, Ontario

Compensation: $115,000 to $135,000 annually, plus equity and benefits, based on experience and fit for the role

Travel: Occasional travel to suppliers, test labs, and field trials may be required

Vacancy status: This posting is for an existing, open vacancy

Security Clearance

Employment in this role may be conditional on the successful candidate's ability to obtain and maintain the security clearance or controlled-goods eligibility required for the position.

Use of AI in Hiring

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support parts of our recruitment process, such as reviewing applications, screening resumes, or evaluating candidate responses. These tools assist our recruitment team, but people make all hiring decisions. AI is used to support, not replace, human judgment.

Remote Robotic Systems Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. If you require accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.